Courting Trouble (Bustlepunk Chronicles #2) by Jenny Schwartz

"Swan River Colony, Australia, 1895All suffragette Esme Smith wants is respect. Her beau, American inventor Jed Reeve, may be more enlightened than most men, but lately his need to protect her is at odds with her need for independence. Esme begins to wonder if a modern woman can share her life with a man without losing some of herself.With his courtship of Esme stalled, the last thing Jed needs is the pressure of saving the Prince of Wales. But when blueprints for a sonic destroyer fall into his hands, he uncovers an anarchist plot that could have deadly consequences.While investigating the threats, Jed is determined to keep Esme out of harm’s way, despite her protests. But when the terrorists capture Jed and demand a priceless emerald in exchange for his life, it’s Esme who must draw on all her strength to save the day" -goodreads.com

My Review:I liked the story line and Esme's conflicts with being a suffragette. Esme & Jed's courting was interesting, in the sense that Jed decided the best way to win Esme's heart was to have her court him. The mystery of the book got a bit confusing, but in the end I think I understood everything. I believe that it was the author's intention to mislead her readers in some elements of the mysterious "Kali's Scream" to put Jed and Esme in a hostage/ "damsel-in-distress" situation, only with mixed views on who would be considered the "damsel"; this aspect really appealed to me. In all I think that this is a good short read and I would recommend it to those interested in strong females, romance, and mystery with a dash of steampunk.

First Line: "'Esme Smith, I could spank you.' Jed loomed over the rickety, round table where she sat trying to concentrate on the socialist speaker, whose thin voice was losing badly to the competition of a hurdygurdy and the pub patrons' drunken sallies." (Loc. 33)

"He knew she was having doubts about their courship--it was this knowledge that made him panic and overreact. He understood her pride. She was a suffragette, intent on proving herself and all womankind as good as any man. He respected her ideals, but it made courting her a tightrope act: he had to fight his natural instinct to protect her." (Loc. 127)

"Forget roses. He was going to give Esme a mystery." (Loc. 254)

"Courting was terribly hard on a woman. It forced her to look at the future, to realize that every choice had its price." (Loc. 295)

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